What is the purpose of the rapture – the catching away of the Church.

Posted on 03/09/2025 by remso

A while back, I was asked several widespread questions. I separated the person’s writing into assertions and questions, and this is my response.

You asked, “… does anyone else see some resemblance in the description of the rapture and the events at the crucifixion?”

While this first response may not sound so astute, I think it needs to be said,

At the catching away of the church, the “rapture,” the redeemed go up.

The rapture has a limited purpose in that Jesus, at this point, is simply coming, in the clouds, to collect those who are His. The other aspect of the “rapture” is the rescue of the living believers from any further harm. This comment feeds into the disputations against a pre-wrath rapture.

You need to get something very clear if you are going to push your broken understanding of an “escape” from wrath, as believers in the African nations have been having their heads cut off for attending church. Those people might be firm in the idea that we must endure deadly tribulations. The problem is that when you use these dear people to bolster your arguments, you are setting aside the understanding that there will always be injustices carried out by the hands of other humans.

The “great tribulation”, which many believe we are discussing, is an aspect of God’s wrath.

If you struggle with the belief that we, as the church, are meant to endure God’s wrath, consider these scriptures.

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation. For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:8-9 BSB

Wrath, in Greek, is the word orgē. It means anger exhibited in punishment.

Several internet teachers I listen to will say something along these lines. Since Jesus is the Bridegroom coming back for His bride, that is us, the Church, then why would He abuse His bride before the most anticipated time, their wedding night? There is no logical answer to a question like this, and passages such as 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9 tell us that it will not happen in an abusive manner.

One “brother in Christ” angrily told me that God will not pour His wrath upon the earth. If so, what do you do with passages like this?

Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty. Exodus 23:7 BSB

The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. His path is in the whirlwind and storm, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
Nahum 1:3 BSB

Since the subject of the crucifixion was introduced, let’s address an aspect of the work that Jesus performed on His journey from the cross to the throne.

Sin, originating in the garden, demanded a price be paid, and it was the death of God. Satan thought he had God in a checkmate, to use a chess term. You see, God set up this earth based on moral laws, His own, and by giving Adam dominion, God placed the man, as a representative of HIs throne, in control of the earth. So, in deceiving the humans, he deceived God, and God would have to pay with His life. If you are puzzled by this, I suggest you watch The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis again. That was not going to happen, so Jesus voluntarily set aside His position and authority to become a man (In the movie, Jesus is represented as a lion), and He would pay the price. This man, Jesus, was the seed of a woman, a descendant of Eve, and Satan thought that the killing of Jesus would put him solidly in control of all creation.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He will bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.
Genesis 3:15 MKJV

There are variations in the translations of Genesis 3:15. For example, enmity, an old English word that can also mean hostility, antagonism, ill will, and hatred. Interestingly, the Hebrew word êybâh was only used four times in the Torah, and two of those times, it was translated as hatred. So hatred works just as well.

Many of these passages speak of God being slow to anger; however, this does not imply that the inhabitants of the earth and those who reject His love will not experience His wrath.

God, in speaking about Sodom and Gomorrah, demonstrates His wrath but without first showing mercy toward Lot and his two daughters.

“Then the generations to come, both your own descendants and the foreigners who come from distant lands, will see the devastation of the land and the diseases the LORD inflicts on it. They will exclaim, ‘The whole land is devastated by sulfur and salt. It is a wasteland with nothing planted and nothing growing, not even a blade of grass. It is like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD destroyed in his intense anger.’
Deuteronomy 29:22-23 NLT

Follow the narrative found in Deuteronomy 9, and you will find that God, in His anger, killed over 3000.

“Remember and never forget how angry you made the LORD your God out in the wilderness. From the day you left Egypt until now, you have been constantly rebelling against him. Even at Mount Sinai, you made the LORD so angry he was ready to destroy you.
Deuteronomy 9:7-8 NLT

Let’s say you still don’t see why God would pour out His wrath upon people; then pay attention to the words of 2 Kings 22:13.

“Go to the Temple and speak to the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah. Inquire about the words written in this scroll that has been found. For the LORD’s great anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing everything it says we must do.”
2 Kings 22:13 NLT

If you are asking what we did to deserve God’s wrath, Daniel has the answer.

But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land.
Daniel 9:5-6 NLT

Do you think God’s heart has changed since He spoke these words?

“Son of man,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day.
Ezekiel 2:3 NLT

Even in the New Testament, we can see God’s wrath coming and to whom.

But regarding Israel, God said, “All day long I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious.”
Romans 10:21 NLT

In speaking with Daniel, God referred to what is to come as the time of wrath.

Then he said, “I am here to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath. What you have seen pertains to the very end of time. Daniel 8:19 NLT

So, the time of wrath is coming.

For I will shake the heavens. The earth will move from its place when the LORD of Heaven’s Armies displays his wrath in the day of his fierce anger.” Isaiah 13:13 NLT

This period in which God pours out His wrath has several names,

The time of wrath.

The time of the end.

The appointed time.

The end of time.

The time when the mystery of God is finished.

Until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The hour of His judgment.

The day of the Lord’s wrath.

A day of trouble and distress.

A day of destruction and desolation.

A time of distress.

What is the purpose?

Near is the great day of the LORD, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of trumpet and battle cry Against the fortified cities And the high corner towers. I will bring distress on men so that they will walk like the blind because they have sinned against the LORD; And their blood will be poured out like dust And their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them On the day of the LORD’S wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Zephaniah 1:14-18 NASB

“But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing. “They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.
Zechariah 7:11-12 NASB

Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you—on the peoples that do not call upon your name. For they have devoured your people, Israel; they have devoured and consumed them, making the land a desolate wilderness.
Jeremiah 10:25 NLT

As we have seen, this theme runs throughout the Torah.
That means that the Pharisees and scribes knew all too well that God’s wrath was coming and why.

When John, the baptizer, said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” They knew precisely what he was talking about.

So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Luke 3:7 NASB

Paul, in writing to:

The church in Rome.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Romans 1:18-20 NASB

To the church Colossae

Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
Colossians 3:5-6 BSB

To the church in Thessalonica

For they themselves report what kind of welcome you gave us, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 BSB

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation. For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:8-9 BSB

By the time we reach chapter four of Revelation, we are already caught up with Christ and with the Father.

The final church of the seven is Philadelphia. It was to them that Jesus said,

‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Revelation 3:10 NASB

Revelation 4:1 opens with this.

After these things I looked, and behold, a door opened in heaven; and the first voice that I heard was as if a trumpet were speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you the things that must take place after these things.”
Revelation 4:1 AFV

What things is He talking about?

The end of the church age and our being gathered to the Father in Heaven.

In Revelation 6, Jesus began opening the seals of the first scroll, which is why we see those on earth crying for the rocks to fall upon them.

And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the powerful men, and every bondman, and every free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him Who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
Revelation 6:15-16 AFV

If we can find Jesus seated upon His throne, how did he get here?

This question is answered when you study what happened from the cross to the throne, and we will do that in the next post.

Posted in 1 Thessalonians, appointed, bible study, fire, rapture, rapture, unrighteousness, wrath. | Tagged 1Thessalonians 5:8-9, Anger, appointed, Belief, Bible, Christ, Christianity, God, guilty, hatred, hostility, Jesus, Lord, obtain, prophecy, punishment, rapture, rebelled, salvation, scorned, Scripture, suffer, unpunished, wrath | Leave a comment

Babylon the great, Mother of harlots. Revelation 17:3

Posted on 03/02/2025 by remso

I am jumping off my commentary on the Gospel of John to point something out.

One of the so-called “watchmen” who goes by “generation 2434” went on a bit of a rant.

“I, 100%, stand against the teaching that ‘Mystery Babylon’ could be Jerusalem because it goes against God’s word.”

He went on to say,

“There are many scriptures that prove this… but here is the short and firm answer.”

“Mystery Babylon is destroyed and will NEVER be a city again.”

If you search for the phrase “mystery Babylon,” you will NOT find it. The closest thing we have to mystery Babylon is Revelation 17:5. Here is the KJV.

(I have intentionally broken up the passage so that aspects could be emphasized.)

“Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment.”

(Judgment is that which originates from God and, in general, would be deemed “the great tribulation”; once again, this is an inappropriate term.)

“of the great harlot”

(Momentarily, we will see that BABYLON, THE GREAT, and THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS are the same thing, and Jerusalem is included.

Here is a huge assumption: If there is a great harlot, can there be lesser harlots?

Since we know that Babylon is one and Jerusalem is another, there is the possibility of others.)

“who sits on many waters,”

(Waters is representative of the nations.
Telling us that this “great harlot sits on many waters indicates that “she” has influence over multiple locations simultaneously.
If this were a human, this kind of influence could only be accomplished by having others fulfill their wishes; this conversation fuels the idea that this being is demonic.

Remember that Satan took a third of the angels, an uncountable number, to earth in his rebellion. It is the reason that Satan can have such an influence. )

“with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality,”

(Perhaps it is best to think of this harlot as wickedness, evil, transgressions, and general darkness.

The question to ask yourself is, against whom?

The answer is that these acts of evil are generally perpetrated against the masses who can do little to defend themselves.)

“and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.”

(God is showing John, and subsequently us, the punishment of the harlot and who she has had an impact upon; this is an aspect of God’s wrath. It is important to recognize that by the time we read this, the collapse of their empires and national relationships because of the immoralities associated with the harlot will just about be complete.)

Consider what Revelation 17:3 tells us.

“And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness;”

(When God showed Abram how committed He was to this covenant that He was asking Abram to follow, the entirety of the dream, although it sounded like reality. What the Apostle John passes on to us is no less vivid and real. In Acts chapter 8, we see the disciple, Philip, run and catch up with an Ethiopian eunuch, who is riding in a chariot while attempting to read the scroll of Isaiah. I have so many questions about this scenario. Having, a few moments later, baptized the Eunuch in some standing water, Philip is translated; perhaps we can say he was carried away in the Spirit.

Did this happen to John? I cannot say, however, that it sounds like John’s experience was more like Abram’s.)

(Wilderness should be a familiar term as we saw Jesus driven into the wilderness – Matthew 4 – to commune with the Father and to be tested by Satan. The wilderness is typically bleak, foreboding, and lacking water.)

“and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names,”

(If I saw anyone riding on a “beast,” I would assume they believed they were in control of that animal. I had an opportunity to ride a horse when I went to Oklahoma. That horse, for the majority of the time, did what it wanted to do. Finally, as the horse was standing in about a foot of muddy water, a man led some young riders out by me and told them clearly to let their horses know who was in control and told them how to do that. Unfortunately, I don’t remember how to do that, but I applied my momentary education to the situation, got the horse out of the muddy lake, and got the horse to run on a sprint. By the way, this is when the ride smoothed out, but the thought occurred to me that this horse could run in front of an oncoming vehicle.)

(It is the woman’s head that is full of blasphemous names, and she is riding the scarlet beast, and the beast is speaking blasphemies.

Let’s focus on the blasphemous names for a moment.

Blasphemy is the Greek word blasphēmia and carries meanings of slander, defamation, vilification, and verbal abuse against someone. The WSD conveys that it is the wounding of someone’s reputation by evil reports. We are not given the names, but if you can understand what they are intended to do, you can comprehend the focus of those words – they are meant to demean God and those who represent Him.)

“having seven heads and ten horns.”

(If you search for “seven heads,” you will only find the phrase in the Revelation.)

– Revelation 13:1 TLV Then I saw a beast rising out of the sea that had ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten royal crowns, and upon his heads were slanderous names.

(I am constantly reminding you that our Biblical study is concentrated on Israel and the Mideast; with that in mind, these ten horns and seven heads are defined in Daniel 7 as ten kings. In Daniel 7, he desired an explanation.) The passage that follows is one of those responses.

– Daniel 7:23-24 BSB says ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down, and crush it. 24 And the ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. After them, another king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings.

(Question: Of the nations in the Middle East, how many are NOT Muslim? Not many.)

The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality,

The description conveys that the participants are motivated by wealth and comfort. Soon, they will be subject to God’s wrath, and their money won’t do anything for them.

And on her forehead, a name was written, a mystery,”

Before we go any further, I want to explore this word mystery. I am NOT an expert in English grammar; I pay dearly to have my work edited by “Grammarly’s” document editor. With that said, I noticed that the word mystery ends with a comma. This indicates that there is a pause worthy of contemplating, in this case, the context of the paragraph. While the implications involved with Babylon are significant, we are not given this information for us to be confused because the name Babylon is a mystery.

The word mystery, as used in Revelation 17:5, is the Greek word mustḗrion, and it carries the implications of a person initiated into sacred mysteries. The word mustḗrion is a derivative of the Greek word muéō (G3453) and means to initiate, learn a secret, or some esoteric knowledge. It also denotes something hidden or not fully manifest.

If you are familiar with the Free Masons or the Illuminati, you are already acquainted with the terminology used to describe being initiated into the sacred mysteries.

The prophet, Daniel, revealed this piece of information, somewhat deflating the mystery.

“But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.” Daniel 12:4 NASB

(God has seen fit to open the eyes of those who have an interest in end-times prophecy.)

And this is what was written upon her forehead.

“BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
Revelation 17:5 NASB

You do not have to be a rocket scientist to understand that the description seen on the harlot’s forehead is the mystery. It is also an analogy to the centralized system progressively taking over the world.

In an attempt to understand what this mystery is, let’s look at what Revelation 17:18 says.

“And the woman that you saw is the great city exercising kingship over the kings of the earth.” Revelation 17:18 TLV

God calls Babylon the great city, but the problem is that Babylon is no longer there. To add to the confusion, Jerusalem is also called that great city. There are multiple references to the destruction of Babylon in the Old Testament and Revelation. Jeremiah 51:8 is one of our examples.

With all that history, God still has the initiative to use the term suddenly.

“Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken; Wail over her! Bring balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be healed.” Jeremiah 51:8 NASB

We find the beginnings of Babylon when we find Nimrod and the tower of Babel. It is from this that Nebuchadnezzar brought about his Babylonian kingdom.

An excerpt from http://www.worldhistory.org.

“Babylon was founded at some point prior to the reign of Sargon of Akkad (the Great, 2334-2279 BCE) and seems to have been a minor port city on the Euphrates River until the rise of Hammurabi (r. 1792-1750 BCE), who made it the capital of his Babylonian Empire. After Hammurabi’s death, his empire quickly fell apart. The city was sacked by the Hittites in 1595 BCE and then taken by the Kassites who renamed it Karanduniash. The earliest mention of the city comes from an inscription from the time of Sargon of Akkad. It was briefly ruled by the Chaldeans (9th century BCE), whose name became synonymous with Babylonians to later Greek writers (notably Herodotus) and biblical scribes, and then was controlled by the Neo-Assyrian Empire (912-612 BCE) before being taken by Nabopolassar (r. 626-605 BCE), who established the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Babylon fell to the Persians under Cyrus II (the Great, r. c. 550-530 BCE) and was a capital of the Achaemenid Empire (550-330 BCE) until it fell to Alexander the Great in 331 BCE. It continued as a trade center under the later Seleucid Empire (312-63 BCE), Parthian Empire (247 BCE to 224 CE), and Sassanian Empire (224-651 CE) but never attained the heights it had known under Hammurabi or the Neo-Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 605/604-562 BCE). The city declined after the Muslim Arab conquest in the 7th century CE and was finally abandoned.” (https://www.worldhistory.org/babylon/#:~:text=Babylon%20was%20founded,was%20finally%20abandoned.)

Jeremiah 51:37 also speaks to the cessation of Babylon, a place where no one will ever live again, much like the coming prophecy against Damascus.

Not that long ago, I watched an archaeologist as he visited the site of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon. The foundations that mark the perimeter of Babylon still exist, but no one, to this day, lives within those boundaries.

“Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, An object of horror and hissing, without inhabitants.”
Jeremiah 51:37 NASB

Consider this: Babylon, acting on behalf of God, in time, took the majority of Israel captive. It is possible that the prophets Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Ezekiel, and Obadiah were taken captive alongside Daniel.

One of the ways we can look at the original Babylon is to see it as a protective force.

Did everyone obtain untouchable protection?

No, and we see an example of this when we read about King Zedekiah, the King of Judah (the Southern kingdom. Read Jeremiah 39:1-9), but others, such as Daniel and the other three young men that were taken captive, enjoyed God’s protection.

If you read about Daniel, you learn that he was thrown into the lion’s den for maintaining his routine of worship. King Darius, who had been tricked, fought to save Daniel, but his own edict was against him. Daniel came out of this sure death unharmed. Read all this in Daniel, chapter six.

Since we can understand that Babylon is gone, this discussion about Babylon, which is deemed a mystery, has to be more spiritual in nature and in the future. Needless to say, that future is now.

And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.”
Revelation 11:8 NASB

When God talks about the two witnesses who stand in the streets of Jerusalem, He refers to Jerusalem as that great city, merely clouding the issue.

So, when I or anyone else talks about false teachers and how they can lead you astray, someone speaking authoritatively can drag you into confusion by insisting that Babylon must be rebuilt. Clearly, that is not the case. To combat that happening, you must become a student of the Word of God; that means you read and write with the express purpose of gaining insight into how God thinks and feels.

Posted in bible study, Harlot, Harlot of Revelation, Jerusalem, judgment, mystery, Revelation, Revelation 13:3, two witnesses, wilderness | Tagged a woman, abominations, adorned, Babylon, Beast, Bible, blasphemous, Christianity, end times, God, God's word, gold, gold cup, immorality, Jeremiah, Jerusalem, last days, mother of harlots, mystery, names, pearls, precious stones, prophecy, Revelation, revelation 13, Revelation 17, rising, scarlet, Scripture, sea, seven heads, ten horns, unclean | Leave a comment

The galactic size and impact of God. John 1:3. Commentary on the book of John.

Posted on 02/12/2025 by remso

We are still looking at the galactic impact and size of God, the Son – Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

“All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him (Jesus), nothing came into being that has come into being.”
John 1:3 NASB

Consider how the New Language Translation brings this out.

“God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.”
John 1:3 NLT

This conveys that Jesus was present from the beginning. Consider this statement: All things came into being through Him. Consider the numerous moments in the Old Testament where we see the angel of the Lord presenting Himself before various people, such as Adam or Moses.

In Genesis 3, we find “God” walking in the garden “in the cool of the day.”

“They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:8 NASB

The “they” is Adam and Eve shortly after the deception and resulting corruption of everything.

The Hebrew word for walking is hālaḵ. According to the Word Study Dictionary, it is “a verb meaning to go, to come, to walk. This common word carries with it the basic idea of movement.”

I point this out because some translations convey that they heard the voice of the Lord walking. The problem is that a voice cannot walk. I can theorize reasons to accept that statement, but it does not make sense. If it is a reasonable translation, it needs some profound definitions, which I don’t see. Since we know that God is and can be represented as Jesus, we can accept that this is Jesus walking in the garden. This is a Theophany – a direct manifestation of God to the physical senses. (Vincent’s Word Studies.)

Consider Genesis 16, where Sarai had pushed Hagar and her son by Abram into the wilderness. God, represented as the angel of the Lord, came to Hagar and comforted her.

“Now the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.” Genesis 16:7 NASB
In Exodus chapter three, we see Moses, possibly having lost his confidence, tending to sheep when he sees the burning bush. Upon approaching the bush, he encounters the angel of the Lord.

“Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.” Exodus 3:1-2 NASB

In the Old Testament, there are over 40 instances of the angel of the Lord declaring God’s physicality, in the visible form of the Son/Jesus, to convey a message to people on earth.

I will leave you with this to ruminate upon.

Posted in bible study, creation, Creation, Genesis, Gospel of John | Tagged all things, Bible, came into being, Christianity, Faith, found, God, human form, Jesus, John 1:3, nothing, Scripture, theophany, through Him | Leave a comment

In the beginning, when God created the universe. A continuing commentary on the Gospel of John 1:1-3.

Posted on 01/31/2025 by remso

“In the beginning, when God created the universe.”

I don’t know about you, but I have had some odd conversations about this very thing. The conversations sound a lot like this:

When did time begin?
Do you mean God was just hanging out in space and decided to create a universe?
Was God just bored?
What do you think He was doing before He had any light?
Wasn’t Jesus enough?

This is my attempt at a short explanation of when time began. I chuckle as I write this because I don’t do short very well.

How about the legitimate question: When did this all begin? Another way of pursuing this peculiar train of thought is to ask when we initiate the timing of things based on what we see in scripture. Truth be known, there is no legitimate answer unless God solved this chronology by starting the clock with mankind’s fall in the garden.

The Jewish community begins their chronology of man based upon the garden moment when Eve was deceived and then handed the “deadly” fruit to Adam. However, they don’t seem to notice that this action made us all accountable for the death penalty. Anyway, this makes humanity a mere 6000 years old. If I sound annoyed or troubled, that would be because Adam and eventually Eve were in place upon the earth long before the garden incident, and God said to Eve, now you will have pain in childbirth. That statement cannot make sense unless she was already producing babies without pain. If that is the case, what was the impact of sins’ emergence from the garden upon anyone previously born outside of the garden? Interesting question, is it not. Primarily, the effect that concerns us is the genetic damage in both Adam and Eve that affected every human being thereafter.

I recently glanced at an article that asked who Cain was afraid of. Well, if we hold to a tight chronology of humanity based upon what we see in the garden, then there are no other people on the earth, yet Cain fears for his life, finds a wife, and builds a (small) city.

Now, as to the possibility that God was merely floating out in space, I do not know the answer, nor does anyone else. Spending time on the idea hurts my head, so we won’t. Sadly, there are many things we do not know, but like Dinosaurs, there is no denying that they happened, so we take what we know and do the best we can with it.

I do not think anyone can legitimately answer most of these questions; however, they do open some interesting doors of thought about God’s magnificence if you are willing to let His Word speak to your heart.

Let’s dive in.

“IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.” [Isaiah. 9:6.] John 1:1 AMP

Before we go one step further, let’s see what Isaiah 9:6 adds to this.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government shall be on his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

You would be correct if your initial assumption were that Isaiah was talking about Jesus, the Son. But note that it says, “his name shall be called …, The mighty God, The everlasting Father.”

If we grasp that John is writing to a Jewish community of believers and trying to make a point about the supremacy of the Messiah, saying, “The Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself,” does just that. (Hopefully, you understand that Jesus was God at this point.)

Many hold fast to the idea that the Apostles went about preaching to Gentiles.
What would have given us that idea?
Well, Jesus did go to the Samaritans, but we saw the disciples struggle with that idea (racism and prejudice run deep.) We do not have strong evidence that the majority of the disciples displayed strong emotion against Matthew, a Jew who had legally robbed the Jewish community and turned his back on his Jewishness by working for the Romans.

Let’s see if I can change your mind.

Jesus sent out the disciples with these instructions:

“Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep.” Matthew 10:5-6 NLT

Later on, we can read that Paul and Barnabas took the gospel to the Gentiles.

“Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles.” Acts 13:46 NLT

In the book of Acts, Paul and Barnabas are sent to Jerusalem to address the apostles and elders about the teaching that says: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” (You find this in Acts chapter 15)

Pushing the new Gentile converts to be circumcised may not sound like much to many, but this is an exceptionally Jewish concept and teaching. The primary purpose the Apostles and early church elders forwarded such an idea was because of their conviction that salvation through Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, was a Jewish benefit.

Sure, there was room for exceptions, and we see that with Peter and his interactions with the Roman Centurion and his family. Read about this in Acts chapter 11, but take note of this.

“So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone.”
Acts 11:19 NAS95

While Peter eventually stood to say something, agreeing that God had accepted the Gentiles through his ministry, we do not see Peter taking this message further than the Roman Centurion’s home. While Foxes Book of Martyrs may point out something historically different, we, in general, do not see the disciples dealing with anyone else but Jews in scripture.

Much time has passed, and John’s understanding of this God-man he walked beside has deepened. However, while Jesus walked with them, they did not grasp who he was.

Is it possible that John’s understanding of Jesus was based upon what he might have comprehended from the writings of the Prophet Isaiah? Anything is possible, and we cannot exclude the idea merely because we do not see it in scripture. We do not see dinosaurs in scripture, but there is no denying they were here.

We just looked at Isaiah 9:6, where it says, “His name shall be called …, The mighty God, The everlasting Father.” Is it possible that the Holy Spirit saw fit to establish and validate the Son all at once by pointing out that they are one and the same, and yet individual, capable of being the “son” that is given? Absolutely!

The following is the verse with the Strong’s numbers integrated into the passage.

John 1:1 NASB: “In the beginningG746 was the WordG3056, and the WordG3056 was with GodG2316, and the WordG3056 was GodG2316.”

I want to focus on the phrase “In the beginning.” The variations on translating this are wide:

The ERV (Easy to Read Version) states, “Before the world began, the Word was there,” which implies a time frame.
If you were to use the Literal Version, it italicized the word “the” to indicate that it was added for clarity. The LITV conveys a process.

When I read from one of the most used translations, the NIV, I get this, “In the beginning was the Word.” “In the beginning was the Word” strikes me as little more than a statement of fact, but doesn’t that present a problem as the mind immediately wants proof.

Since our “Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge” reference to “in beginning” leads to other passages, let’s see what they say.

In the beginning:

Genesis 1:1 NET. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

The statement is comparable to what John said, and every Jewish reader would have had the loud tone of their teaching Rabbi in their head as their mind turned back to Genesis and the Torah. This was the beginning of history; their story and knowledge of the Holy begins here.

Here, though, in Genesis, the Hebrew word is: רֵאשִׁית / rê’shı̂yth / ray-sheeth’. From the same as H7218, the first, in place, time, order or rank (specifically a firstfruit): – beginning, chief (-est), first (-fruits, part, time), principal thing.

Strong’s concordance points us to the origin or base word H7218 – רֹאשׁ / rô’sh /roshe. From an unused root apparently meaning to shake; the head (as most easily shaken), whether literally or figuratively.

Based on the Hebrew, I see that I could have also said,

The first thing –
The order of things –
The principal thing (this opens another line of thinking in me.)
And finally, I might have said, the chief thing.

(Again, another line of thinking entails the idea that multiple things were to be done.)

Since God knows the end of a matter before it ever starts, He knew that putting an end to a mutiny, such as Satan’s, had to come. He could have restored the world without us perpetuating the problem, but here we are, and therefore, we are a part of the plan.

The phrase “in beginning,” indicates a process. That means creation could have been an aspect of the process.

I briefly touched upon the Hebrew word rê’shı̂yth, but what about the Greek word for beginning, the place where we started?

“In the beginning.” In Greek, the word is ἀρχή / archē / ar-khay’. From G756; (properly abstract) a commencement, or (concrete) chief (in various applications of order, time, place or rank): – beginning, corner, (at the) first (estate), magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule.

Once again, we have the idea of a process that opens the door to other things.

The TSK references continue with the following:

Colossians 1:17 NASB: “He is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together.”

Suggesting that Jesus was right there, in the nothingness, before creation.

Ephesians 3:9 NASB “and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;.”

Since we have pointed out that the Word was God –

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1 MKJV)

Then, when we look at Ephesians 3:9, we can understand that God and Jesus are considered one and the same.

I will finish this portion by adding verses two and three.

John 1:1-3 MKJV, In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2) He was in the beginning with God. 3) All things came into being through Him, and without Him, not even one thing came into being that has come into being.

Let me point something out, “and without Him, not even one thing came into being that has come into being.” That happens to include you.

The question has come up lately: Are you comfortable with your relationship with the Father?

The answer, for me, is an immediate yes, but my mindset tends to interpret this as speaking about His love for me.

I know He loves me. This statement, on my part, is not a boast; this came out of times of stress and pain when I cried out to God. It develops the trust one builds when someone sticks by you, especially when you do not think you deserve it. However, it does not always override the negativity in my head, which comes from a lifetime of abuse in which co-dependency was unwittingly taught; I hope that was the case.

An acquaintance recently commented about perpetrators getting minuscule sentences while the abuse they inflicted stays with the victims for their lifetime. Understanding what I am saying requires you to think outside the box. Perpetrators may not be criminal in their actions because, in some cases, they only use words as their weapons. However, the damage haunts you forever. I deal with the effects of that very thing to this day, holding memories of abuses inflicted by others as far back as elementary school – we are talking about a time frame that extends beyond fifty years. My fiancee does not understand, but neither do I most of the time. Though I wish it could go away, my only hope is in the peace I obtain through my relationship with Jesus Christ.

Question: Had Jesus, knowing how things would turn out, submitted Himself to take on the form of a man?

One piece of evidence that fuels a thought such as this comes from the many pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus Christ (Theology likes to use the word Christophany) throughout the Old Testament. If the Messiah created with a human inclination, then he would have done so with a concern for the beauty of nature, which we humans are so taken with, as it would have become a part of His thinking. Although I am getting ahead of myself, John 1:14 clearly tells us that the Word became flesh many times.

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
(John 1:14 NASB)

The word “became” comes from the Greek word ginomai. The Word Study Dictionary defines it as “to begin to be, to come into existence or into any state, or simply to be.“

1 John 1:1 NASB “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life–”

John and many other disciples unashamedly testified to some essential things that many feel comfortable denying or ignoring.

We heard. Many events have sounds and memorable sayings associated with them.
We have seen with our eyes. We saw people’s lives change because of the miracles.
We touched with our hands. While touching has some wide latitude, it could be taken to mean they felt the Son of God.

In a translation such as the LITV, the word “the” is italicized, indicating that it was added for clarity.

John 1:1 LITV “In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

I could read this, “In beginning.” A read like this applies no parameters to how this should be understood. The Septuagint, where it reads “en arche,” conveys the idea of a point of commencement, simply to begin, or it is indicative of a process.

Since John seems to lean heavily upon Genesis 1:1 as a prophetic witness, you would think that we would see the same treatment of the word “the” in the Genesis record. However, a proper study of the Genesis account proves that it could be read in the same manner but by using a singular Hebrew word, rê’shı̂yth.

Now, let’s ponder the phrase “the Word” momentarily.

Joh_1:14; Rev_19:13

The phrase is simple enough. It is (as Strong’s concordance points out) “… in other words, pointing to one thing, the person of Jesus in all His forms.

I already pointed out how John 1:14 tells us that the Word became flesh. Suddenly, I find my thoughts swimming in muddy water, and here is why.

Here I am in January 2023, and lately, one trend has been to ask an artificial intelligence application to provide an image of God. Some results are effeminate, homogeneous, ethereal beings with a single eye where the forehead should be.

When people try to play the race card and say that “we” have created a white God, I point out that there is the possibility that God is nuclear energy. I say that because Moses was NOT allowed to look at the face of God, as it would kill the man. Instead, Moses was allowed a fleeting glimpse of the backside of God as He moved away. As a result of that moment, Moses glowed for quite a while, so much so that the people asked him to cover his head.

“It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain) that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.” (Exodus 34:29 NASB)

We know that Moses was on that mountain for 40 days and nights, longer than a human can live without water and food, but we have no chronological timeline of when specific things occurred. The point here is we do not know how long Moses glowed.

And yet, when the Pharisees demanded that Jesus show them the Father, He merely said, if you have seen me, you have seen the Father. We see Jesus, and therefore, the Father, through His word.

Posted in Adam, bible study, children, Colossians, creation, Creation, fallen angels, Genesis, strange doctrines, the goal of our instruction, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged Belief, Bible, Christ, creation, dwelt among us, God, His name, Jesus, John 1, prophecy, The everlasting Father, The mighty God, word became flesh | Leave a comment

The Significance of John’s Gospel for Jewish Believers. An Overview.

Posted on 01/23/2025 by remso

Having heard the theological breakdowns of John’s gospel, I am acknowledging that these portrayals are most assuredly there. However, all those word pictures seem to do little for me as I am always taken back by the power and depth of this introduction

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Sadly, most of us do not grasp what is being said here; it is a point that goes on for several verses and magnifies the concept that “NOTHING” was made without Him.

My fiance (at the time) had a run-in with a lady who was an adamant defender of Replacement Theology. (I mentioned this to my men’s group, and a retired teacher was in that group. Immediately, the teacher responded, “This is what Hitler was teaching in Germany as he rose to power. “) The woman espousing Replacement Theology threw her hand up in my fiance’s face several times. It’s the gesture some use when they refuse to leave room for communication. I am unsure how effective it is, but they are telling you, “Talk to the hand,” because I am not listening. As my fiancee tried to enlighten her through simple, apologetic defenses, she included the fact that the Bible is a Jewish book written to the early church, which primarily consisted of Jewish converts. My fiancee made me proud by asserting that we need to come into line with the concept if we want to understand so many of those things we consistently miss – like the entire Book of Revelation. Thankfully, the Pastor came into view and reiterated those same ideas to this lady without full knowledge of what had been said. (It is nice to know you are on the right track, or at least in line with your pastor’s theological position, something we were unaware of previously.)

Why was any of that necessary?

Because reading for understanding will help to quell the false teachings, like Replacement Theology.

Reading for depth is precisely what I want to do with John’s gospel.

Having done this once before in a group setting, I can tell you it is lengthy. Before you berate me for not being concise, I must inform you that I stumbled upon a commentary by Arthur Pink; his commentary is exclusively focused on the Gospel of John and is as thick as my Four Translation Comparative Bible, and I value the insights I find there.

Why did John write this Gospel?

First, let me comment on the timing.

We understand that John wrote this gospel about A.D. 90. As a comparison, John wrote the Revelation on the Isle of Patmos about A.D. 96.

Luke wrote his gospel about A.D. 56-63
Mark, it appears, was writing on behalf of Peter and wrote between A.D. 57-63
Matthew, one of the disciples, and like John – a first-hand witness, wrote, according to tradition, A.D. 37. An interesting point here is that Dr. Gary Habermas brought out in an apologetics seminar that I attended pointed out how early eyewitness accounts are the most valid piece of evidence we have of an event; Jesus’ life and death are that event. This is important because Jesus was crucified and rose again in A.D. 36. Matthew gave us a first-hand account within one year of Jesus’ death. Contrast this information with someone like Buddha, who had nothing written about him until 600 to 800 years later.

It is possible that John, having read what the others had said, wanted to make a point, a point that the others seemed to have missed.

Secondly, as we come to understand from the reading of Paul’s missionary journeys, John was ministering exclusively to the Jewish community.

It is possible that having heard Jesus say, “I have come for the lost sheep of Israel,” John also took this to heart.

John also witnessed the impact of the Holy Spirit, not only on the life of Peter on the Day of Pentecost but on the number of Jews (over 3000) who came to an understanding that Jesus was the Messiah they longed for.

Suddenly, there was a great need for a Pastor.

What would that need have looked like to the young disciple John, considering that all they knew about leading people came out of the synagogues, and, even though we do not see this spelled out in scripture, what Jesus might have been teaching them.

The third point I want to consider is that John wrote, almost exclusively, to a Jewish audience.

One piece of evidence for this comes from Revelation, which was written sometime later.

Revelation 1:11 KJV Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What you see, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

Church. This is the Greek word ekklesia – a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564 – and means a calling out, that is, (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (a Jewish synagogue or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both): – assembly, church.

We can also see from Vine’s Expository of New Testament Words that the word ekklēsia can be interpreted as Assembly.

1. ekklesia (G1577), from ek, “out of,” and klesis, “a calling” (kaleo, “to call”), was used among the Greeks of a body of citizens “gathered” to discuss the affairs of state, Acts 19:39. In the Septuagint. It is used to designate the “gathering” of Israel, summoned for any definite purpose, or a “gathering” regarded as representative of the whole nation. In Acts 7:38, it is used for Israel; in Acts 19:32 and Acts 19:41, for a riotous mob. It has two applications to companies of Christians, (a) to the whole company of the redeemed throughout the present era, the company of which Christ said, “I will build My Church,” Matthew 16:18, and which is further described as “the Church which is His Body,” Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 5:23, (b) in the singular number (e.g., Matthew 18:17, RV marg., “congregation”), to a company consisting of professed believers, e.g., Acts 20:28; 1Corinthians 1:2.

Because some will not buy into this idea of John writing to a Jewish community based upon one witness, allow me to give you another.

Revelation 2:9 KJV I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not but are the synagogue of Satan.

Things to make note of here. Satan does not have a synagogue, but Jews do.
However, John was not writing to Jews in general; he was specifically writing to Jewish converts, many of whom were still meeting in their synagogues.
Verse 9 above says, “I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not but of the synagogue of Satan.”This tells me that they did not have to give up their traditions – feasts of the Jews – holy days, nor abandon being a part of the life found in the synagogues. For those who wish to espouse the false teaching of Replacement Theology, it does not take much to see that God, even in this example, had not ordered them out of the synagogues but merely desired to become the center of their focus as the living Messiah, the primary person that they, as Jews, were looking for.

The word synagogue appears in several NT books and is not exclusive to John’s writings.

Assuming that John’s most significant impact would be on the Jewish community that is now a believer, why did he think he needed to emphasize, in the most substantial way, that Jesus was God?

Perhaps the answer lies in Revelation 2:9, which says,

“and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.”

Christians are notorious for asking, how can I know if I committed the unpardonable sin of blasphemy? The mere fact that you are concerned demonstrates that you have not. So, we ask this question because we do not know what the word blasphemy means or what it applies to.

Jesus answered this question in Matthew 12:32 when He said,

“Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.”

Another translation may be more precise.

“Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.” Matthew 12:32 NLT

Go back to Matthew 12 and see what the context is.

The Pharisees had attributed the things He had done to Satan/Beelzebub. So, the relevance comes into play in Revelation 2:9 because this body, considered to be believers, had attributed God’s works to Satan.

If I had understood that this was your frailty, I would have wanted to bring you back to the center, and it would probably sound like this: “The Word was God Himself.”

Posted in bible study, Deception, doctrines of demons, Gospel of John, Holy spirit, Jews, Messiah, pastor, strange doctrines, straying from the truth, Synagogue, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged apologetics, beginning, Belief, Bible, Christ, Christianity, converts, early church, Faith, false teaching, God, Israel, Jesus, Jewish, Jews, made, nothing, replacement theology, Scripture, the Word, with God | Leave a comment

Understanding Joel 2: Hope Amid Darkness

Posted on 01/04/2025 by remso

Call me what you wish, but know this. I will deliver what I feel the Lord is telling me to say. The day of the Lord is upon us. Even in the midst of darkness, His word and His Spirit will still be active.

I have chopped up this passage below because of its length and highlighted those things that my spirit feels strongly about.
Although the time to come is not going to be pretty, God will show himself strong through the life of the person who will call upon Him. The word of God will never pass away, and the Holy Spirit of the living God will remain upon this earth, drawing all who will turn to Him.

Joel 2:1-32 NIV Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand— (2) a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. ….a large and mighty army comes, ….. (6) At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale. …… (10) Before them the earth shakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. (11) The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty is the army that obeys his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it? (12) “Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” (13) Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. (14) Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing— ……… Let them say, “Spare your people, LORD. …… (28) “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. (29) Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. (30) I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. (31) The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. (32) And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.

We, the pathetic Laodicean church, the one He calls lukewarm, who have expressed their distaste for the power and presence of God, will now witness those who have had enough mediocrity rise up in power like never before. This is not about money but my presence in the lives of willing people. I am crying out in the streets for the lost and wayward to come, and I will respond to those who turn to me and press into me. I will, says the Lord, Rise upon the land and show myself strong. Never again will people mock my name. I am calling forth my army. The call has gone out; come. If you will turn to me, desiring me, I will overwhelm you with my presence, and you will know me as you have never known.

Posted in a day of clouds, bible study, blackness, darkness and gloom, dreadful, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, I will pour out my spirit, Joel, rend your heart, return to me, sending calamity, The Day of the Lord, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged Bible, Christianity, day of the Lord, end of ages, end times, God, Holy spirit, Jerusalem, Jesus, Joel, Lord, Mount Zion, New International Version, Revelation, Tribulation | Leave a comment

Understanding the Great Sign of Revelation 12:1

Posted on 12/31/2024 by remso

Yes, I know, I haven’t posted for some time now. Excuses, I have none, but life certainly gets in the way, and I went through a dry spell.

Revelation 12:1 NASB

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;

I am focusing on this passage because, within my relatively small circle of teachers, this was a hot topic for several years, and many of these teachers were not afraid to point out that we are in the season in which Jesus will come to snatch away the church.

If you have been a follower of my posts, then you know I equated this season to the American Baseball World Series. We recently finished the World Series in October of this year. To bring you up to speed on why this is poignant to Revelation 12, the World Series has variables built into the game, and so does the great sign.

The King James conveys Revelation 12:1 in this manner:

“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:”

I advocate studying the simplest words and phrases, so let’s start with this.

A great –

The Strong’s number is G3173. It is the Greek word mégas; fem. megále, neut. Méga. It is an adjective (a word that describes;) and implies great size, largeness, or physical magnitude.

The Word study dictionary also speaks of men or creatures, indicating great size or stature.

Without explanatory details, we can understand that this “sign” is enormous.

Sign –

Sign is the Strong’s # G4592. It is the Greek word sēmeion. It is a noun and means sign, mark, token, or a miracle with a spiritual end and purpose.

An obvious factor is that we know this is NOT a miracle, therefore we will cling to it being a sign, mark or token.

What can I make of this so far?

In John’s writings, it is portrayed as something of tremendous size whose purpose is to mark an end. John wrote about a time in the future, and we live in that time.

Why didn’t anyone tell me about this before?

Revelation 12:1 KJV And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

There appeared –

Feel free to look at other translations if you can access another.

Appeared is the Greek word optánomai. This is Strong’s # G3700 – and the reference implies with eyes wide open.

There is a clear sense that the Spirit wants us to take this in and understand.

If this is the arrangement of stars and heavenly bodies that make up the constellation Virgo, you can be confident that, for us, this constellation did not merely appear in the sky. What changed, and rather suddenly, was that other planets and moving objects, such as moons, comets, and asteroids, combined to create this sign.

According to the website “EarthSky.org”, this was initiated around September 17, 2017, and has continued to demonstrate God’s prophetic word ever since. This “scientific” website also tells us that the constellation represents a harvest goddess.

In searching for answers, I stumbled upon this website: https://www.torahtimes.org/writings/date-clarified/article.html – here, we look at this constellation from a Jewish point of view. Considering that the entirety of our mindset should be Jewish, I thought this would be important. The following are excerpts from their site.

“The word “sign” is first mentioned in Gen. 1:14¹, where it is explained, “Then they will have been for signs and for appointed times, and for days, and years.”
“The woman is the constellation Virgo. This is an autumn seasonal sign when the sun conjuncts with it. The sun is also said to be in it in the autumn, or in front of it.”

The sun’s placement and timing would not seem important; however, it plays a role as the scene demonstrates God’s plan of redemption and salvation of humanity, should they decide to jump on board.

As a youth, these “night objects” were nothing more than interesting and pretty lights in the sky. What began to change my thinking was that the magi from the east, whom we understand to have been trained by Daniel while he, too, was in Babylonian captivity, the Magi used those lights to lead them to the Messiah. Add to this that Herod ordered the Scribes and Pharisees of the Jews to testify before him as to what sign the Magi had followed and the significance of such a sign. They knew that it was an indication of the birth of Jesus the Messiah, and they had chosen not to ascribe to it as the Magi had.
The “torahtimes.org” goes on to say that “Virgo is the greatest of the constellations which mark the course of the sun, just as the text says, “a great sign.”” Of all the ecliptic constellations, it is the second largest. The largest constellation is Hydra, but this one does not lie along the ecliptic course of the sun, and it is only slightly larger.

Significant information.
“The sun moves into a new constellation almost every month. In September the sun lies in front of the constellation of Virgo. So this sign is giving us the seasonal date of Messiah’s birth.”

Wouldn’t it be awesome if this was the year that it marked the return of Jesus, the Messiah, to collect His bride?
“Now when the sun is in a constellation sign its glare keeps the stars from being seen. However ancient astronomers back to Persian times (think about Daniel when you read this) knew exactly which stars the sun was in conjunction with even though they could not see past the sun. They determined this by observing the constellation at night in another season and then calculating the sun’s position when it moved into the sign. We must consider that Yoɦanan is seeing with the eyes of the Ruaɦ Elohım (this is the Hebrew equivalent to the Holy Spirit,) in the vision, and that though the constellation is clothed with the sun, he (John the beloved,) is enabled to see it and the selected stars at the head of it.”

“The stars are there, but he (John) is only shown twelve. There are really many more than twelve stars.

He is only shown twelve stars because the stars are supposed to give an additional message to the reader. These stars are the twelve tribes of Yisra‘ɛl (Israel). So we see a second message layered within the astronomical sign—about Yisra‘ɛl.

Later in the passage, we also see that the woman is more than just a constellation.”

“The position of the moon is given under the feet of the woman. In order to appreciate this we have to know at what angle this sign is typically viewed. As viewed from earth near sunset at the start of the feast day the vision appears like this simulated image. The atmosphere setting for the Stellarium 0.14.1 software has been turned off in the simulation. Otherwise the glare of the sun would fill the whole constellation. This makes the metaphor “clothed with the sun” sensible.”

“The position of the moon on three days is as follows:

8/30 after sun sets   The Moon is under the hip and not visible.  
8/31 after sun sets   New Moon first visible (Tishri 1) under feet and legs. 
9/1 after sun sets.   Moon under empty space, (Tishri 2)       between Libra and Virgo.

“The correct position is for sunset 8/31(August), which is the beginning of Yom Teruah, a scriptural feast day, also called Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of Trumpet”(s.)

“The sun only covers (“clothes”) the constellation Virgo in the fall, and this recurs every year. Likewise, when the moon is near the sun to the east of the sun, then it is likely to be a new moon. The lineup with the legs shows that it is a new moon. I should note that in Hebrew and also the Greek used by the Jews, the word “feet” also means “legs.”

The lineup of the moon, as described, does not occur nearly as well in other years, and in some years, not at all. This is because the sun varies its location in the constellation as the new moon day moves back and forth for about 30 days. And often the locations are not ideal.”

“Interpreting the Parable of Rev. 12:1-2”

“The simple astronomical explanation given above corresponds to all the details in the passage.”

“The constellation of Virgo is a woman who is clothed with the sun in the fall, and under her feet was the new moon, and there are at least twelve stars near the head.”

The constellation is a sign.”

It is also a great sign.

“At the time of the sign, the woman was in labor to give birth. The only year that matched the sign exactly, and exactly with the priestly divisions, was 2 BC on August 31. (Which happened to be the birth of Jesus.)

Yet, most amazingly, and most incredibly, almost everyone in the Christian world hastens to DENY that this is what the sign means.”

“Yeshu‘a has his reasons, and he stated them in part here (See Matthew 13:10-17)². Messiah did not just tell parables himself while on earth. But through the Spirit he tells parables in the Scripture. There are quite a number of chronological ciphers both in the Torah and Prophets and also in the Apostolic Writings (a.k.a. New Testament). Revelation 12:1-2 is one of them.”

Wouldn’t it be awesome if God decided it was time for Jesus to come and harvest His bride?

Many tried to make me aware of this sign, and I did what most of you do; I ignored the information because it was too much, and I integrated the demonic association of the stars (astrology) with astronomy, a scientific observation of the universe.

in heaven –

Strong’s #G3772. It is the Greek word ouranos and means the sky; by extension, heaven (as the abode of God).

Now, we can ascertain that this great sign will be in the heavens, the sky, among the stars.

a woman –

Woman is the Greek word gune. It is the Strong’s #G1096 and means a woman, specifically a wife: G1135.

She represents Israel, Eve who is the birth mother that led to Israel, and Jesus.

Assuming you have been paying attention, then you know that the first scriptural reference that demonstrates the plan of salvation and redemption of humanity, even if they should reject that plan, is through the woman Eve, with not only the birth of Israel, once again, but also the birth of Jesus.

Why Jesus?

Since the fall of humanity in the garden, we are ALL tainted in our DNA and carry traits that motivate us to SIN.

The Defenders Study Bible tells us that Genesis 3:15 is

“the first promise of redemption (Gen_3:15) is commonly known as the protevangel (first gospel). In its essence, the gospel (good news) is the message that the Creator is also our Redeemer and coming King and that true faith in Him—faith which produces salvation—will also produce loving obedience to His Word.”

I will tell you that I had never heard the term protevangel until the 70^th year of my life. However, I was adept enough to realize that the plan of redemption, though somewhat masked in terminology, was there in God’s adversarial opposition to Satan.

The passage reads like this.

Genesis 3:15 MKJV And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He will bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.

A more readable translation.

Genesis 3:15 BBE And there will be war between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed: by him will your head be crushed and by you his foot will be wounded.

Pay attention to words and phrases such as enmity (what does that mean?) and “between your seed and her Seed.”

Enmity can be interchanged with hostility, antagonism, ill-will, and hatred. As you can see, the Bible in Basic English says there will be a war. When you read that the war began long ago in the heavens, you might wonder why it has continued for so long.

In the Gospel of Luke, it is recorded:

Luke 10:18 MKJV And He said to them, I saw Satan fall from Heaven like lightning.

Satan did not merely trip and fall off the edge; he fought against the heavenly forces and lost. God himself threw Satan out of heaven. You might think that God was sufficient to kill Satan like a bug, but Satan, like the angels, is an eternal being and cannot be killed; therefore, Satan is still alive, and we see him in the Book of Job, approaching God with the Sons of God. Note: God does not waste time with idle threats, and that is why we will also see Satan locked up for a thousand years and then permanently, forever.

Ezekiel also describes the end result of this battle.

Ezekiel 28:15-16 MKJV You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created until iniquity was found in you. 16 By the multitude of your goods, they have filled your midst with violence, and you have sinned. So I cast you profaned from the height of God, and I destroy you, O covering cherub, from among the stones of fire.

And Isaiah speaks of Satan being brought down.

Isaiah 14:13-15 MKJV For you have said in your heart, I will go up to the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. 14 I will go up above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High. 15 Yet you shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the Pit.

We are still considering Genesis 3:15.

As many will tell you, the woman does not carry the seed but the result of the interaction of a seed from the male with the egg of the woman. In the case of Mary, from the point in which she agreed to be a participant, the Holy Spirit came upon her, and she became merely the carrier of a fertile egg that He created, and that became Jesus.

Why couldn’t God use one of the eggs from Mary’s womb?

Because of the actions of Adam and Eve in the Garden, where they both partook of the fruit that changed their DNA, they impacted the lineage of all humanity.

Let’s assume you don’t believe that could happen.

What do you think is happening when you take a mRNA vaccine that is openly declared to change your DNA? It changes your DNA. This is why God had to make a fertilized egg absent the typical path of fertilization, and Mary simply carried it as a surrogate mother through the birth process. Jesus, by this process, may have looked and acted like a human, but He did NOT have damaged DNA that pushed and motivated Him to sin, as it does us, and, therefore, had no sin.

So, Satan has been in a perpetual war with the seed, the lineage of Eve, ever since that day.

Proof?

Genesis 4:8 MKJV And Cain talked with his brother Abel. And it happened when they were in the field; Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

The firstborn child of Adam and Eve killed the secondborn over a sacrifice, which was easy to resolve by following the instructions. We, in scripture, do not see the specifics of those instructions, but the understanding that it happened is there if you are willing to look for it.

The “logical” mind will say this verse does not say that Satan killed Abel. It does not have to. We already know that Satan will try to kill off the seed of the woman, and as you continue to study, you will find that God uses people motivated by Satan and his demons to carry out the destructive side of evil.

End notes:

1) Genesis 1:14 BSB And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years.

2) Matthew 13:10-17 BSB Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?” 11 He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ 14 In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Posted in Adam, beginning, bible study, Creation, devour, fallen angels, Heaven, Revelation, roaring lion, Satan, Thoughts on scripture, Wife | Tagged Bible, Christianity, clothed, crown, crushed, feet, God, great, head, Heaven, her, Jesus, last days, moon, prophecy, Revelation, Revelation 12:1, Scripture, seed, sign, stars, sun, twelve, under, war, woman | Leave a comment

Young earth or old earth, is it worth the fight?

Posted on 10/13/2024 by remso

At a time when we may be sitting at the edge of the church’s removal from earth, it seems strange to ask the question,

“Are we dealing with a young earth or an old one?”

Science, with its ties to Darwinian theory and all of those simian-like skulls that we were compelled to associate with evolutionary theories, which were proven to be human manipulations pushed upon the public; that and the growing understanding of how the Smithsonian Institute and its aggressive push toward evolution and crushing of Christian beliefs played a role in our understanding of history, the less I value their input.

In a typical conversation with a young earth advocate who has brutishly advocated for their position, I will frequently bring up the validity of an old earth against a young earth based upon our lack of understanding of the scope of a simple Hebrew word like yôm, or day in the English transliteration.

The Young Earthers typically base their spirited arguments on information they have obtained from Dr. Ken Ham’s Answers in Genesis. Dr. Hamm also created the Young Earth creationist organization that operates the Ark Encounter in Kentucky and believes wholeheartedly in the teachings of James Ussher.

According to Wikipedia and information listed by the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, James Ussher obtained a Master’s in Theology by age 20. He quickly became the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland between 1625 and 1656. Many sought his wisdom, and he had the ear of King James of England. His influence extended into every known denomination of the time.

Ussher was best known for his calculation of the age of the Universe, known as the ‘Ussher chronology.’ He determined the first day of biblical creation to be October 23, 4004 BC. By the middle of the 19th century, Ussher’s chronology came under increasing attack from supporters of uniformitarianism, who argued that Ussher’s “young Earth” was incompatible with the increasingly accepted view of an Earth much more ancient than Ussher’s.

In the book Before Genesis, the authors Donna Holland and Dr. Thomas Horn pointed out that Ussher admitted that he assumed several dates. This assumption, as Donna Holland and Dr. Horn have pointed out, “may have been necessary, seeing as scripture is vague on some things like the word used for both a small increment of time or a vast period of undocumented time; and the transliteration of the King James version from “original” sources of Hebrew is influenced by many issues and difficult at best.”

These are things that would have influenced and potentially corrupted someone’s understanding.

Moses documented what he saw, heard, and experienced. God filled in other details, such as the creation of the earth and, in time, humanity—Adam and Eve.
This accumulation of laws, history, and—in the case of Psalms and Proverbs—poetry became the Torah. But remember that until Heidelberg invented the printing press, the Torah was only in scroll form. These scrolls were so valuable that copies were primarily kept in the synagogues. If the scribe “copying” a scroll made a mistake, the entire scroll must be trashed. So, errors may not have been found for many years.
What language did they use to make these Bibles we use? Well, it is safe to say it was NOT English. We know that the Torah may well have been initially written in a form of Hebrew that was banished during Roman oppression. There would have been an eventual struggle to try to recover that language. A problem like this might explain why much of the Bible was transliterated from Koine Greek. Wikipedia gives us this about Koine Greek – it is also known as Hellenistic and Biblical Greek, evolved from Attic, and is a more recent dialect. It is pronounced more closely to modern Greek. It is the dialect in which the New Testament was composed and into which the Old Testament, or Septuagint, was translated from older Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts.

I asked Wikipedia how many forms of Hebrew are known? The response:

- Biblical Hebrew: Also known as Classical Hebrew, this is the archaic form of Hebrew used in most of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).
- Mishnaic Hebrew: Also known as Rabbinic Hebrew, this was the language used in the Mishna, a collection of Jewish traditions written around 200 CE.
- Medieval Hebrew: This period lasted from the 6th to the 13th century CE, and many words were borrowed from other languages.
- Modern Hebrew: This is the language used in Israel today. It has two main versions: Sephardic Hebrew, also known as Ivrit or Israeli, and Ashkenazi Hebrew, also known as Ladino or Yiddish.
- Ashkenazi Hebrew: This dialect is commonly used in Israel, but its popularity is declining compared to Israeli Hebrew.
- Sephardi Hebrew: This dialect is spoken by Jews from Spain, Brazil, Portugal, and Italy.
- Mizrahi Hebrew: This dialect is spoken by Jews from the Middle East.

So, under Roman rule, where the Hebrew language, both written and spoken, was banished, the Jewish people had to learn Greek. Thus, Greek and Aramaic became the primary languages of biblical restoration, as we see in Daniel’s writings.

Imagine the collective effort required to recover the entire book of Isaiah, for example. An oral recitation, a shared responsibility, would have been mandatory. The process of picking someone or multiple persons’ brains to recover a rather large document not only adds to the potential for errors but also underscores the sense of community in the restoration of these texts. Many of those documents that were stashed away in the Qumran caves played a crucial role in the restoration of the Torah.

So when you respond to someone (typically a religious zealot who adheres to a literal six-day, 24-hour creation) with yes, but the Hebrew word yôm, which was translated as a day in Genesis 1:5, can also be translated as vast eons of time, the skilled young earth apologist will perpetually try to deter your assertions by pointing out God’s installation of day and night, which, in their minds, clearly demonstrates a 24-hour period.

Sadly, all this talk about 24-hour creation periods doesn’t seem to work without a Sun, and we don’t see that until Genesis 1:16 when we see God placing the Sun in the sky on the fourth day.

Genesis 1:16NASB God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.

The Hebrew word yôm covers a wide range of time concepts. The Word Study Dictionary gives us this.

A masculine noun meaning day, time, or year.
This word stands as the most basic conception of time in the Old Testament.
It designates such wide-ranging elements as the daylight hours from sunrise to sunset (Gen_1:5; 1Ki_19:4);
a literal twenty-four-hour cycle (Deu_16:8; 2Ki_25:30);
a generic span of time (Gen_26:8; Num_20:15);

In Genesis 26:8 it is an indeterminate amount of time, likely consisting of days (hence, along time.)

Genesis 26:7-8 LEB When the men of the place asked concerning his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “my wife,” thinking “the men of the place will kill me on account of Rebekah, for she was beautiful.” 8 And it happened that, when he had been there a long time, Abimelech the king of the Philistines looked through the window, and saw—behold—Isaac was fondling Rebekah his wife.

In the book of Numbers, we see God’s people as slaves in Egypt for a long time.

Numbers 20:15 LEB our ancestors went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians mistreated us and our ancestors.

In Exodus 12:40 we see a reference that spells out how long Israel was there in captivity; that would indicate that “yôm” also meant 430 years.
a given point in time (Gen_2:17; Gen_47:29; Eze_33:12).

In Genesis 2:17, the day was not specified and was certainly to come, but when?

Genesis 2:17 LEB but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 47:29, in speaking of Jacob / Israel, he had lived a full life and at this point they could see his death coming, but no one could say when that would happen. In this case, the yôm (or day of his death) was unknown to them.
In the plural, the word may also mean the span of life (Psa_102:3 [4])

Psalms 102:3 LEB for my days vanish in smoke, and my bones are charred like a hearth.
or a year (Lev_25:29; 1Sa_27:7).

Leviticus 25:29 LEB “‘ And if a man sells a residential house in a walled city, then it shall be his redemption until completing a year after his selling; its redemption shall last a year.

In the NASB version of this passage, the length is spelled out as a full year. This is the Strong’s number H3117 yôm.
The prophets often infuse the word with end-times meanings or connotations, using it in connection with a future period of consequential events, such as the “day of the LORD” (Jer_46:10; Zec_14:1) or simply, “that day” (Isa_19:23; Zec_14:20-21).

Zechariah is speaking about the thousand year reign of the Messiah over the earth and specifically the nations participating in the Feast of Booths.

Zechariah 14:20-21 LEB On that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to Yahweh.” And the cooking pots in the house of Yahweh will be holy, like the sacrificial basins before the altar. 21 And every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to Yahweh of hosts, and all those who sacrifice will come and will take from them, and will cook in them, and there will be no longer a trader in the house of Yahweh of hosts on that day.

Here, in contrast to a 24-hour day, the usage of the phrase “on that day” clearly refers to the entirety of actions that occur during the millennial reign, and it is the word yôm.

The word yôm is used by the Prophet Jeremiah as he addresses the seven years of God’s wrath.

Jeremiah 46:10 LEB For that day is to the Lord Yahweh of hosts a day of retribution, to take revenge on his foes. And the sword will devour and be satisfied, and it will drink its fill of their blood, for a sacrifice is for the Lord Yahweh of hosts in the land of the north by the Euphrates River.

Having studied our Bibles, we know that this time of revenge is also known as God’s wrath. This is the period between the catching away of the bride of Christ and the millennial reign.

My hope is that I have made it possible for you to read the scriptures with an open mind and are willing to take in other information that would help to make a concept, such as a day a word that can help to answer your questions instead of creating more.

If I can l read Genesis 1:1 with the understanding that Jesus spoke the entirety of the creation into existence; and that Isaiah 45:18 tells us that it was perfect in the day that it was formed, then something cataclysmic happened between verses 1 and 2. It is now easier to understand that the cataclysmic event happened within an indeterminate time frame and that God was now putting things back into order without holding to a 24-hour time frame.

Posted in assumption, bible study, creation, Creation, creationist, Earth, Genesis, Jeremiah, old earth, undefined time period | Tagged Bible, Christianity, chronology, creation, creationist, day, Genesis, God, Isaiah 45:18, James Ussher, Jesus, old earth, sunrise, sunset, time, year, yom, young earth | Leave a comment

A layman’s commentary on Matthew 24 verses 44 through 51. Be alert because you do not know the hour.

Posted on 09/08/2024 by remso

Let’s end this dive into Matthew 24.

Our last look into Matthew 24 gave us this:

“Therefore, be alert, because you don’t know on what day your Lord will return. You realize that if a homeowner had known at what time of the night a thief was coming, he would have stayed awake. He would not have let the thief break into his house. Therefore, you, too, must be ready because the Son of Man will return when you least expect him.”
Matthew 24:42-44 GW

In addition to not being deceived, Jesus asks us to be alert and stay awake – not literally. Still, it certainly conveys the idea that those of us who trust in Jesus’ word are to pay attention to the signs we are NOW experiencing.

“Who is the faithful and sensible servant whose master puts him in charge of the household staff, to give them their food at the proper time?”
Matthew 24:45 CJB

Referring to you as a servant would almost be insulting, but Jesus did. I have a question.

Do servants have an option to question the master’s commands?

Not unless they have an extraordinary relationship with the master, but even then, they probably know that there is a line that should never be crossed. Well, if Jesus is calling us servants, then perhaps we should pay attention and be alert.

Who is Jesus referring to when He speaks of servants who have been put in charge of the household staff to give them their food at the proper time?

Since the subject matter is the Jewish people and their culture, then would it surprise you if I told you that He is talking about the religious leadership of Israel.

Can I apply this to myself?

I am and you would be wise to quickly do the same.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary indicates that this is a test and implies that even the care of the earth has been under our influence. I would say that our corporate leaders have failed miserably as we sought the almighty dollar to excesses. It sounds like we are under the law, and to a degree, we are, for the law was the only reasonable substitute since the earth, through Adam, fell under the curse.

The response to the question, “who is the faithful and sensible servant,” comes in verse 46.

“It will go well with that servant if he is found doing his job when his master comes.” Matthew 24:46 CJB

This speaks about God’s judgment, the seven years of wrath that will be poured out upon:

The nations – this includes all who reject Jesus, the Messiah.
The Jewish leadership: for teaching others to reject Yeshua, for rejecting the Messiah, who is spelled out explicitly in the Torah, and all while tormenting those who would accept Jesus as the Messiah.
And He is going to pour out His wrath upon those who have killed the people and destroyed the earth in their quest for wealth.

What is our job?

Preach the good news whenever possible and wait eagerly for His return.

A parable, titled by the modern translators, reads like this.

“You Must Be Ready”

Luke 12:35 CJB “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit,”

Verse 35 should have a familiar ring to it.

It sounds like our Lord pulled aspects from “The Parable of the Ten Virgins,” which we find in Matthew 25:1-13. All of them took oil lamps, while half took additional oil in case the night went longer than expected. Those who did not bring extra oil became arrogant and demanding when their lamps ran out. (Keep in mind that they had the same opportunity to prepare.) Sounds like half of them just weren’t all that interested.

If you are stumbling because of the parable of the ten virgins, then you should know I was accosted by a brother at church, who publicly challenged me as to why I was advocating for Jesus’ soon return. He said, we have been looking for Jesus for over two thousand years, and He hasn’t come back; He is NOT coming back any time soon, so stop already.

Luke 12:36 CJB “like people waiting for their master’s return after a wedding feast; so that when he comes and knocks, they will open the door for him without delay.

Matthew 22 speaks of those gathered from the Gentiles.

“Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. ‘Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ “Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.”
Matthew 22:8-10 NASB

Let’s look at this portion of the paragraph for a moment.

“ but those who were invited were not worthy.”

Initially, who were the invited?

Israel, or better stated, the descendants of Abraham.

The word “worthy” is the Hebrew word áxios. According to Mounce’s dictionary, it means worthy of or deserving, either good or evil. Initially, God declared Abraham and his descendants áxios, or worthy of good (or evil, which we see in Deuteronomy 28 – the blessings and cursings if you do not follow after God).

Interesting how the slaves, doing what the master said, found in the streets both evil and good, and with these people, they filled the wedding hall with dinner guests. In general. Here is a touch of sarcasm. It does not take long to notice that this group included worthy people like Caleb (he was not a descendant of Jacob and, therefore, a Gentile.)

Aren’t you glad God found us.

But Matthew 22:11 gives us a piece of perplexing information.

“But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?‘ And the man was speechless.”
Matthew 22:11-12 NASB

Seeing as we have an overabundance of homeless living on our streets, you would be hard-pressed to find any with “wedding clothes.”

Finis Jennings Dake conveys this.

“The poorer classes would not have festive apparel, and they were therefore provided for by the king from his own extensive wardrobe. This is one of the most interesting details of the parable. It was a special mark of honor to receive a garment which had been used by royalty, and kings sometimes showed their liberality by giving freely to others whom they sought to honor.”

Dr. J Vernon McGee states.

That wedding garment is the righteousness of Christ, which is absolutely essential for salvation, and it is supplied to all who believe.

We see the believers clothed in white.

“He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”
Revelation 3:5 NASB

Once we reach chapter four of Revelation, the church is not discussed, yet there is this peculiar reference.

“Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.”
Revelation 4:4 NASB

Could it also be that these, clothed in white garments, represent the church?

The logical answer is yes because there are many other references to the white garments and the bride, which is us, the church.

And we can know what being ready looks like.

“The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!” Luke 12:37 NLT

Ready and waiting anxiously for his return.

What happens to those who are doing their job?

“Truly I say to you that He (Jesus) will put him(the servant that does what He asks) in charge of all his possessions.”
Matthew 24:47 NASB

Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth speaks to this very thing.

“Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
2 Corinthians 5:9-10 NASB

Here, we will be rewarded by Christ. Jesus ended this portion of His talk like this.

”But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 24:48-51 NASB

Consider this excerpt.

“the master of that slave will come on a day when he (the evil slave) does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites.”

I always hear this; no man knows the day or the hour. I suppose the implication is that you should wait anxiously for Him, but that is not the end of the story.

Paul said we are not in the darkness that we should not know, and Paul states that it is for us to know.

Paul, having taught the Church body in Thessaloniki that Christ is going to come back for His bride, the Church, but somebody came afterward and frightened them into believing that they had missed the rapture, the catching away of the church. (The Greek word for rapture is harpazo, and the Latin is rapio. Nonetheless, he is coming back. Since the collective signs are happening around us rapidly, it behooves us to look for Jesus.)

So, “that slave” who does not expect Him will be in the dark about the timing and return of our Lord.

A few paragraphs earlier, I talked about the brother in Christ who berated me for encouraging people to look longingly for Jesus. I know this brother, and he leans toward legalism, but I think it is necessary for him to keep his life in order. I lived my life under a constrained religious legalism, and no, thank you, that is not for me. It was for freedom that Christ has set me free, and I will not allow anyone to try to put me back into that bondage.

Does living in freedom condemn me to hell?

One brother in Christ likes to think so, and he creates rules in his head that those outside of his head have to live by. He will tell you that everyone who does not accept Jesus NOW will have NO chance to accept Him after the Church leaves this earth.

Is that true?

The answer is an emphatic NO, as the Holy Spirit will still be on earth, drawing as many to Jesus as will come.

Is it true that grace will indeed be gone? What that means to those who come to Christ during the seven years of wrath is that you will have to prove your allegiance to Christ by losing your life for your testimony, but not to worry, Jesus will be there to escort you into eternity.

Did you know that I learned how to sin as a Christian?

Yes, thinking too long on that thought will get my head spinning. All I know and now lean on is I am so glad that God found me and sought me out.

Posted in bible study, coming, grace, Matthew's gospel, rapture, rapture, Thoughts | Tagged assign, Belief, Bible, Christ, come, coming, expect, gnashing, God, heart, hope, hour, hypocrites, in charge, Jesus, last days, master, Matthew 24, place, proper time, prophecy, Scripture, slave, teeth, weeping, will put | Leave a comment

On whose account that this calamity struck. A look at Jonah based on chapter one of Jonah’s book.

Posted on 07/26/2024 by remso

My morning men’s group recently finished reading Tozer’s Obedience To Christ. The brother who “leads” was on business trips and vacations for a month, so we finished Tozer without him and then put a vote out to the group as to which video we should watch next. It was a short list, and one of the options was The Book of Jonah by ERIC MASON. I am very familiar with the Book of Jonah, and this seemed like it would have been better than the other options; it was not.

What problems did I have with this version of Jonah?

The primary thing is that Eric sermonized every segment of his video teaching. An example from the group questions download reads like this: You have to spend an extra moment trying to ascertain who the “he” represents (clue: it is all about Jonah).

He hated Assyria, of which Nineveh was a major urban center.
If you have read your scriptures, then you should know that there was a deep hatred of the Assyrians within the Jewish community. Considering what scripture tells us about the Assyrians, Jonah’s lifetime of harmful interactions with the Assyrians would understandably feed into his racism and hatred.

What are you trying to tell me when you say Nineveh was a major urban center? You make it sound like we have communities separated by nothing more than a mere stone’s throw. How about hundreds of miles?
He feared how the people would treat him.
Which people group is Pastor Eric talking about, the Jews or the Assyrians?

If it is the Assyrians, a Jew might expect to be violently killed.

He saw Israel as more deserving of God’s love than Nineveh.
We are not told this by the scriptures, so we are left with only assumptions. However, the Jews express thoughts like this with consistency.
He had the right theology but the wrong disposition.
How deeply inset was the Torah that they chose to call it theology? Probably none; it was the Law. If I must look at Jonah and wrap him in religious clothing according to his disposition, what would that have been?

Up to the point God asked him to take a message of destruction to the Assyrians, there was NO disposition that any of us would have seen.

Take note, disposition is a reflection of your temperament.
His personal preferences conflicted with God’s character.
Amazingly, most people miss this obvious point, although, even today, most people do not understand God’s character. If the Ninevehites had not reacted as they did, God would have burned them to the ground, just as He did with Sodom and Gomorrah. Something that falls under the assumption is that we all hold beliefs about God.
He refused to love the unlovable.
It seems rather evident that we don’t see Jonah’s end, and therefore, anything we say about him is an assumption with no legitimate basis.

Essentially, everything Pastor Eric Mason said was comparable to handing out a study guide on Jonah, similar to what most churches pass out to their Sunday school classes. These study guides are designed to elicit thinking in a certain way while eliminating any notion of free or spirit-led thought. Well, now that you have a feel for how I feel about this video teaching, let’s look at what the scriptures tell us.

Jonah

Dr. Frank Turek, a Christian Apologist, points out that one of the main things that makes God’s word believable is that God makes sure that you are aware of the hiccups, glitches, and things that appear to be failures.

A couple of those would be:

Adam’s fall (some would call what Adam did treasonous) in the garden, and, in what seems like moments later, Cain, the firstborn under “sin,” killed his brother Abel. (Read Genesis 3.)
And how Moses, the man who led Israel out of Egypt, killed an Egyptian, was found out, and ran to the desert for forty years.

“The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying,”
Jonah 1:1 NAS95

Jonah’s background is shown to us in 2 Kings 14.

“In the fifteenth year of Amaziah, the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of king of Israel became king in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years. He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher.”
2 Kings 14:23-25 NAS95

From this, we know: Where Jonah hails from – Gath-hepher; Who his father is, Amittai – if that helps you; and what his only reference is – he prophesied that “the border of Israel, from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of Arabah, would be restored,” and it was by the hand of Jeroboam, the son of Joash king of Israel.

What follows is information derived from Dake’s Bible notes.

a [word of the LORD]The word of Jehovah came to Jonah, the contents of which are stated in Jon_1:2. The same message was repeated with little variation when the prophet was finally ready to obey (Jon_2:2). This or a similar expression is found seven times in the book (Jon_1:1;Jon_2:10;Jon_3:1,Jon_3:3;Jon_4:4,Jon_4:9,Jon_4:10).

b [Jonah]Jonah was a historical character (Jon_1:1;2Ki_14:25)—the only man so-named in the O.T.—which adds to the fact that he was a type of Christ. The name is spelled “Jonas” in the N.T. (Mat_12:39-41;Mat_16:4;Luk_11:29-32). Peter’s father was named “Jona” or “Jonas” (Joh_1:42;Joh_21:15-17). Both Peter and Jonah (2Ki_14:25) came from Galilee, so the statement of the Pharisees in Joh_7:52 is not true.

Date and place: Written in Palestine about 853-824 B.C.

Author:Jonah (Jon_1:1;Jon_2:1;Jon_4:1;2Ki_14:23-27;Mat_12:39-41;Mat_16:4;Luk_11:29-30).

Theme: The book is a story of a bigoted Jew who, after being chastened by the Lord for disobedience, preached to and converted the whole city of Nineveh.

Purpose: To show why the destruction of Nineveh and the Assyrian empire was delayed by God for almost a century; to illustrate the fact that God’s mercy and salvation are for both Jews and Gentiles who will repent and turn to Him; and to typify and illustrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as seen in notes on Matthew_12:40.

Pastor Eric Mason seemed to imply that Jonah’s message was meant to bring about the salvation of the Ninevehites.

I suppose that was God’s intent, even though there was nothing stated to describe how they should demonstrate their salvation. Fortunately, we serve a merciful God who looks at the heart, but even though they put on sackcloth and ashes, their “salvation” only lasted about a hundred years.

The Biblical Illustrator tells us.

“We read, in the Second Book of Kings, about Jeroboam II., the powerful and able and sinful ruler of the Northern tribes under whom Amos and Hosea lived and preached, that “he restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God which He spake by the hand of His servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher.”

God’s command to Jonah.

“Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and proclaim to it that their wickedness has come to my attention.”
Jonah 1:2 CJB

At this point, there is NO explanation of what will happen to Nineveh. Watch how Jonah responds to this directive.

“But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the face of Jehovah. And he went down to Joppa, and he found a ship going to Tarshish. And he gave its fare and went down into it in order to go with them to Tarshish, from before the face of Jehovah.”
Jonah 1:3 LITV

Upon receiving his orders, Jonah flees to Tarshish, thinking that God won’t be able to find him there. (What gave you that idea?)

Dr. J Vernon McGee gives us this.

“Instead of going in that direction (to Nineveh), he does a very strange thing. He goes down to Joppa and buys a ticket on the first boat for Tarshish. Tarshish was a city founded by the Phoenicians on the southern coast of Spain. It was the jumping-off place of the west.”

” And (Jonah) went down into it in order to go with them to Tarshish.”

He found out where the ship was going, paid the fee, and went down into the hold to take a long nap. If you have ever been fishing on a modern boat, you would know that there are always particular smells, like diesel fuel, fish, and bleach. This, of course, is not primarily a fishing boat, and there was no diesel engine to foul the air or bleach to wash the decks, but there had to be smells associated with an older boat and the familiar rocking of the ship that is working to get you seasick. Sleeping seems to make all that go away.

If you don’t believe that he went below, stay tuned. Scripture will soon support my assertion.

Before I go another step, I want you to remind yourself, who is writing this narrative?

The obvious answer would be Jonah.

Would you dump your failures on your future audience?

Shockingly, God has Jonah do just that. I have heard it said that such honesty is one of the things that make the Biblical narratives so believable.

“The LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up.”
Jonah 1:4 NAS95

Parts of the story to hold on to:

A great wind;
an associated storm on the sea;
and the fact that the ship was about to break up.

If you recall, the Apostle Paul was being taken to Rome when the ship he was on did break up, but that had more to do with stormy conditions that were throwing the ship into the rocky coastline. In the case of Jonah, there was no rocky coastline, it was merely the severity of the deep water conditions that were about to tear the ship apart. How he managed to sleep through this I will never know.

“Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep.”
Jonah 1:5 NAS95

The things I have heard in studying this book with others. There the assumptions that every one on the ship were devout Jews.

Momentarily we will see that Jonah had gone incognito so that the captain and the men would NOT ask too many questions.

Notice that these guys prayed to their particular god. Since that did not seem to be helping, they began to throw the cargo overboard as though lightening the load would help. All the while, Jonah slept.

“So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”
Jonah 1:6 NAS95

“So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping?”

Unless you are very tired, it takes a lot to fall asleep through all that rocking and yelling. I am quite sure that they were yelling at each other.

“Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”

The captain did not let him sleep. There was no need for Jonah to call upon god, as he knew why the ship men were taking a beating; and, besides that, Jonah did not want god to know where he was or why. How foolish, God knows everything.

As the narrative progresses we will see that Jonah knew that God did care about people, especially those that are innocent.

“Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.”
Jonah 1:7 NIV

“Cast lots”? This is the Greek word gôrāl: The Word Study Dictionary tells us it is “a masculine noun indicating a portion or lot. A lot was cast, probably a stone or stones, to decide questions or appoint persons for various reasons; for apportioning land (Numbers 26:55; Numbers 33:54; Joshua 18:6, Joshua 18:11)”

It comes across like they were throwing dice.

“They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.”

Isn’t that amazing how that happened?

“Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
Jonah 1:8 NASB

“Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us?”

What a bizarre way of thinking. I suppose we are to simply ignore their barbaric technique for extracting information and the assignment of responsibility.

At this time, the primary method of identifying that someone was a Jew was the tassels that hung below their clothing. Google’s AI overview tells us that “Jewish people wear tassels, or tzitzit, as a reminder of the commandments of the Torah.”

Jonah did not want them to know he was a Jew. I assume because as a Jew he carried great responsibility, and he chose to not have anything – namely the tzitzit that would have exposed his identity.

They demanded, “tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us?”

“Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”
Jonah 1:9 NLT

Look at what Dr. J Vernon McGee tells us about this.

“I am a Hebrew“—that meant a lot. The Hebrews were known to be monotheistic; that is, they worshiped one God, never an idol. They had no other gods before them but worshiped the God, who is the Creator. Jonah says, “I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.” Jonah tells them that he worships the God who made the ocean which they could see right before them being so stirred up by the storm. He made the sea, and He made the dry land also. I think these sailors knew about Israel, but they were pagan and had no knowledge of the living and true God.”

How did they react to what Jonah told them?

“Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.”
Jonah 1:10 NASB

At this assertion by Jonah, “the men became extremely frightened.” “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”

They said to Jonah, “how could you do this?”

The passage tells us that Jonah told them exactly why he was on the ship, which explains how they suddenly knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord.

“So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?”–for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy.”
Jonah 1:11 NASB

Is this like throwing a baby into the mouth of a volcano and hoping that the volcano stops rumbling?

Not very logical. Moving on.

“For the sea was becoming increasingly stormy.”

When the narrative begins, Jonah has gone down into the hold and gone to sleep.

In time, as the boat was at sea, a storm came up and the crew did there best to deal with it, but the storm was severe enough to begin breaking the boat apart. After the captain awakened Jonah, Jonah responded with this bizarre reply.

“He (Jonah) said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me, this great storm has come upon you.”
Jonah 1:12 NAS95

What promise from God was Jonah leaning on that prompted him to tell the crew to throw him into the sea, from which there would be no coming back?

A passage that Jonah may have known comes from King David.

“When David saw the angel, he said to the LORD, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep—what have they done? Let your anger fall against me and my family.”
2 Samuel 24:17 NLT

The Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament is bold enough to tell us this.

“He (Jonah) willingly endures the punishment, desiring to perish and not let others perish on his account,” Jonah confesses that he has deserved to die for his rebellion against God, and that the wrath of God which has manifested itself in the storm can only be appeased by his death. He pronounces this sentence not by virtue of any prophetic inspiration, but as a believing Israelite who is well acquainted with the severity of the justice of the holy God, both from the law and from the history of his nation.”

I am not so sure that we can assign such nobility to Jonah, especially if we have read the entirety of the narrative. They heard what Jonah said, and, for the moment ignored it.

“However, the men rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them.”
Jonah 1:13 NAS95

You almost get the impression that they thought he had lost his mind. The obvious factor was the severity of the storm and the associated waves. Anyone going in that water is not going to live.

Up to this point, I have avoided the terminology suicide, and why?

Because the religious connotations are that those who do such commit self-murder and, therefore, are lost to hell’s flames forever. I know this because it was a rant that I heard frequently in my household.

And so, what do we do?

We avoid and dance around the obvious because it is too uncomfortable to talk about.

And yet, how do we see God handle this case with Jonah?

He brings Jonah back to life and uses Jonah as an example of the course of action that Jesus would have to travel to bring salvation back to humanity. Jesus angrily retorted to the scribes and pharisees.

“Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.”
Matthew 12:38-41 NKJV

We had this discussion during the course of Pastor Eric Mason’s video teaching, how that this was NOT Pinocchio, nor did Jonah have a card table and a candle that never gave up it’s light. The leader of our group, almost as if he was trying to admonish me, said Jonah was made to live for three days in the belly of that fish. If you insist on buying into that claim, then you might as well pull Matthew chapter 12 from your bibles, as you are scoffing in the face of God’s power and Jesus’s activity from the cross to the throne.

If this challenges you, then you need to rethink death. Killing the body is only a passing thing, and since the body carries the genetics passed on from Adam, then to us. Sorry, but this body must die because we cannot take this sin-broken body into eternity with us. That is why the soul is preserved, and we are given new bodies.

Romans 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.

And one day soon, death will no longer have mastery over us.

1 Corinthians 15:21 For since by a man (Adam) came death, by a man (Jesus) also came the resurrection of the dead.

If you are still breathing, then this resurrection is primarily symbolic through the acceptance of Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death.

To abolish something is to permanently get rid of it; this will only happen at the Bema seat of Christ, which is an aspect of our being caught up to be with Jesus.

What I just gave you was the shortlist, as this theme is an integral part of our life in Christ.

Do you know why Jesus did not approach Lazarus’s tomb until the fourth day after death?

Because the Jews wholeheartedly believed that the soul stayed in the body until the third day. The fact that Jonah is spoken of in this manner allies itself with Jesus’ own death that was to come and how He, too, was thoroughly dead when He came off that cross.

Read the eleventh chapter of John’s gospel, and you can take in the entirety of the story, but pay close attention to these words.

“So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.”
John 11:17 NKJV

Jesus waited so that there would be no questions as to whether He, through the power of God, raised Lazarus from the dead or if it was just a fluke. As Monty Python used to say in several of their comedy skits, he’s only half dead.

This discussion would be null and void if Jonah had been anything other than dead.

“Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. Therefore they cried out to the LORD and said, “We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You.” Jonah 1:13-14 NKJV

They understood that Jonah would die in those waves. Isn’t it odd that there is no talk about suicide or the aftermath of murder?

Maybe God is not as focused on that as we are with our religious ideals and traditions.

And so, into the ocean, went Jonah.

A thought that keeps running through my mind is the number of people who commit suicide by police officers. While most of us realize that running at a police officer with a knife or a pellet pistol is a sure way to die, few of us call it suicide.

Whatever their nationality, these men knew that there was a responsibility for the insupportable death of a human.

“So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows.”
Jonah 1:15-16 NKJV

However, they picked up Jonah, and he, like Jesus, went compliantly.

What was the idea behind Jonah being thrown overboard?

I believe that God fully intended to halt Jonah’s escape and change his direction. God also used Jonah as a future analogy for Jesus—this is where Jonah’s death played a role.

Look, you can try to sell people fairy tales, but the reality is that God made the laws of physics. Apply vicious winds to any large body of water, and you will have waves sufficient to sink boats. I have seen this on two occasions, and I had to steer our little fishing boat out of one of them.

Even if you could stop the wind, it would still take several minutes for the waves to calm down.

Does information like this make the Bible a book of lies?

Hardly, but what it does show us is the influence humanity has upon the telling of the story. In the case of Jonah, did he, as he was splashing wildly in the deadly waves, time the situation in order to relate how long it took for the seas to calm? I scarcely think so as he had other things on his mind, especially since most people who commit suicide really don’t want to and will try to fight what they have done. And we are about to meet an extremely large fish that had been specially ordered for the purpose of taking Jonah into its mouth.

“Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
Jonah 1:17 NKJV

How long can you stay alert without oxygen?

About 15 seconds.

How long can your brain live without oxygen?

About 4 minutes.

What kind of fish is capable of swallowing a human?

A Basking shark. It swims about exclusively in the Mediterranean Sea, and though it is NOT meant to be a man-eater, it can undoubtedly open its mouth wide enough to suck a human inside. Considering that a human is merely an annoyance to a fish that feeds on krill, it becomes evident that God had to motivate this fish to grab Jonah, hang on to him (underwater) for three days, and then spit him out (dead) on a beach, most likely in the region of Aleppo Syria. I would imagine that it was a short conversation.

Here, we end chapter one of Jonah, but I have inserted several provocative terms and assertions, such as suicide, murder, and the death of Jonah.

Why?

I have had these discussions with “fellow believers,” and I am aware that many choose to believe that Jonah remained alive in that fish for three days. This false belief, based on tradition and a lack of knowledge, forces you to ignore logic, reason, and physical laws that govern our ability to live and breathe—which God made and integrated into our daily lives.

When it comes to death, there are several forms and applications.

Physical death, which is the cessation of breath, is what most of us associate with death.
No doubt, there is a loss of friendship and companionship.

Does your inability to breathe kill your spirit?

The answer is no, although I suspect many people have, in a sense, killed their spirits.
The other death has everything to do with your spirit or soul. The perplexity is that the soul is eternal, made in the image of God, who is a spirit. So, death, as far as God is concerned, is eternal separation from God.

The more important question you need to answer is, what kind of death did Jonah experience?

Obviously, he ceased to breathe, and yes, his body died because of that action. Held in the mouth of that big fish, Jonah began to decompose. Another obvious problem that feeds into our traditional supposition is that Jonah remained alive inside that fish. A part of our being able to understand what the book of Jonah is telling us lies in how he writes. This takes us into Jonah chapter 2, where he speaks as though he is alive. Ask yourself, could God have given him an in-depth review of his life in those moments on the beach where he regained his mental capabilities? Could Jonah have been given a recollection of what happened to him in those first 15 seconds before he blacked out?

Think about the unimaginable possibility of a dead Jonah getting spewed upon a beach and then having any awareness of what had just happened. The most reasonable solution is that God deposited all these thoughts into Jonah’s head and heart, including the events that brought Jonah to the beach in Syria. Many of you see this as nothing short of preposterous, but that is exactly what I think when you try to convince me that Jonah remained alive inside the belly of this massive shark.

Consider Moses. Scripture implies that the history of humanity on earth was passed on to Moses, and he re-conveyed that information to us through the books of Genesis and Exodus. If you were to be honest, you would have to say that there are things in Genesis alone that can make your head swim, such as Cain, who, having killed Abel, says, surely people will find me and kill me. People, where did he get the idea of people? I say this because the false but common understanding is that there are now only three people on the earth.

Surely, Moses struggled to understand the things he was asked to write, and even more incredulous, he was asked to believe them.

This can only be God.

Posted in bible study, body, courage, death, forgiven, Jonah, kill, raise up, straying from the truth, The third day, the will of God | Tagged Assyrians, beach, breaking, drowned, fish, flee, Jonah, Nineveh, ocean, prophet, run, sent, ship, stormy, swallowed, Tarshish, three days, thrown, vomited | Leave a comment

A Voice in the Wilderness

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Jonah

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